Brand: Washburn
Feature: Kit includes Washburn M1 mandolin, gig bag, picks, strap & pitch pipe
Label: Washburn
Manufacturer: Washburn
Model: M1SK
Publisher: Washburn
Special Features: The 125 year tradition of Washburn folk instruments continues with its first ever mandolin kit. Kit includes the Washburn M1 mandolin, gig bag, picks, strap and pitch pipe. For those just learning the instrument, the kit is completed with an instruction book that teaches you the basics to get you pickin? and grinnin' in no time.
Studio: Washburn
MPN: M1K

• Kit includes Washburn M1 mandolin, gig bag, picks, strap & pitch pipe

The 125 year tradition of Washburn folk instruments continues with its first ever mandolin kit. Kit includes the Washburn M1 mandolin, gig bag, picks, strap and pitch pipe. For those just learning the instrument, the kit is completed with an instruction book that teaches you the basics to get you pickinâ and grinninâ in no time.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Strictly an entry level mandolin, but not a bad one.
Comment: I bought this mandolin (but not from Amazon) for about seventy dollars, including the shipment, from an eBay auction house. It has a bright tone, but not a particularly resonant one. The intonation and bridge height required adjustment (and the bridge /is/ adjustable), but other than that it played well out of the box, without needing to adjust the action at the nut. The gig bag is barely adequate ... no padding, a weak zipper, no pockets.

My only real beef with this was with the packaging ... although the box showed an instrument with a truss rod cover, and the instrument came with an allen wrench for adjusting a truss rod, the mando in the box had no truss rod. So, in a way, I felt that I didn't get what I ordered. But for $70, I felt I got my money's worth.

It's still on the string set I got with it, but I'm keen to see whether putting a decent set of strings on it will make much of a difference.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Stan's Review:
Comment: This instrument is made in Indonesia or, at least, the one I got was. It arrived in good condition and was packed well.

Other than that, there is not much to reccomend it at the price you will be paying for it. It probably would be a fine deal at eighty bucks but that is as far as it goes.

The instrument has an old timey look to it that is appealing and the bridge seems to be okay. Of all the fairly inexpensive mandolins I have purchased, however, it is the only one that will not play with the bridge in the lowest position. At this position all I got was rattles and other odd noises.

The strings themselves are rather heavy duty and acceptable though I think the mandolin would product a better tone if it had new strings put on it.

The gig bag is fairly well made and fairly well padded but is only a zippered bag with no side pocket for picks and stuff.

I got a little Mel Bay 'pocket' music book with the kit but this book was for the banjo and therefore useless. The pitch pipe was junk but I have no use for it anyway. Get yourself a Korg or Musician's Friend tuner and save on all the strings you can bust using pitch pipes or a piano.

If you are going to plunk down two hundred bucks you would do better to get the Dean Tennessee A mandolin. This Korean made instrument is a notch above most of the Chinese mandolins I bought. I even bought two Dean's since I think they may increase in value in time.

As good a choice and cheaper would just be to get the inexpensive fifty dollar Rogue model or one of the higher priced Rogue instruments and then buy a bag or case from a company like Musician's Friend.

Bottom line: okay instrument but too high price.

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